1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to television, or other audio-visual type display systems having remote control transmitters wherein the display unit and the transmitter both having multiple operating modes; and means for simplifying the operation of the display unit through the remote control keypad.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Recently an interactive on-screen program guide, which is updated by broadcast transmissions and stored in the broadcast receiver, has become a reality. One such on-screen program guide is STARSIGHT (TM). The reader is referred to U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,121 for an exposition of such a system. Basically, program guide data can be broadcast during the vertical blanking interval (VBI) of a regular broadcast and stored in a program guide memory within the receiver. The receiver is generally an audio-visual display unit such as the common television, colloquially referred to as "TV". The viewer can then superimpose the program guide over the regularly displayed programming and select viewing or recording options from the guide. The on-screen programming guide is controlled by a separate microprocessor from that of the TV.
Also, in recent times TVs have increased their amount of signal source input capability so that a variety of signal sources, e.g., antenna, VCR, cable, laser disc, etc. can be operator selected to determine the display on the TV.
Further, the operating parameters of the display unit/TV itself are increasingly controlled by on-screen menus. The numerical keypad has virtually been eliminated from the TV itself and been replaced by a numeric keypad on the remote control transmitter. The remote control transmitter is most often designed to control any of the varieties of the signal source inputs to the TV as mentioned above, as well as the operating parameters of the TV itself. Thus, as the reader is no doubt aware, there can be a great number of buttons on the remote control transmitter.
In order to control the aforementioned on-screen programming guide, as well as the parameters of the display unit itself, the remote control transmitter can have a completely new set of keys to control the on-screen programming guide. This will undesirably increase the number of keys on the remote control transmitter.
Alternatively, the keys presently on the remote control transmitter which are used to control the TV operating parameters can be made to serve double duty through a "mode selection" of the transmitter to enable it to send different codes with the touch of the same button. This enables the remote control transmitter to control various devices which serve as signal sources for the display unit, but the signal source input selected for the TV must be matched to the operating mode of the remote control transmitter to produce the desired display. For example, when the viewer is in the program guide mode on the remote control unit but not on the program guide signal source for the TV, he cannot display the program guide or any other menu until the mode and signal source match.
Thus, whether extra keys are added or mode selection is used for the keys, one is still not able to conveniently control the display unit. Ideally, one should not have to switch remote control transmitter modes when the TV has a known signal source input.
It is, therefore, among the objects of the present invention to provide a remotely controlled TV system which can "translate" an ineffective remote control command in the on-screen program guide transmitter mode to an effective command for the TV in order to simplify remote control operations based upon a determination of the signal source being used to produce the display.